SMARTPHONE-ASSISTED MAINTENANCE OF A SELF-SERVICE TERMINAL

• US 20150074179A1
• Filed: 09/05/2014
• Published: 03/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wincor Nixdorf International GmbH (Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Wincor Nixdorf International GmbH (Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated)
• Inventors: Graw, Bernd
• Granted Patent: US 10,341,202 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2294 by remote test
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/00 Image analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/201 Accessories of ATMs
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/20 characterised by the transmission technique; characterised by the transmission medium
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/80 Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition

Abstract

A method (5) and a system 100 are provided for maintaining a self-service terminal (1). The maintenance is effected using a mobile terminal (3), such as a smartphone. A server application that can communicate first via a communication link (23) with a terminal application that is executed on the mobile terminal (3) and second via a network connection (21) with the self-service terminal (1) is executed on a server (2). Direct communication between the mobile terminal (3) and the self-service terminal (1) is not necessary. The mobile terminal (3) uses a still picture production apparatus (31) to capture both an identifier (11) for the self-service terminal (1) and an identifier (121) for a maintained component (12) of the self-service terminal (1), and transmits corresponding data to the server (2). On the basis of this, the server application can ascertain update data and communicate them to the self-service terminal (1).

Claims

1. A method (5) for maintaining a self-service terminal (1), comprising the steps of:

executing a server application on a server (2) of a network (4) in order to manage a number of self-service terminals;

positioning a mobile terminal (3) in a nearby area of the self-service terminal (1) and execution of a terminal application on the mobile terminal (3);

capturing an identifier (11) for the self-service terminal (1) and production of identifier data;

setting up a communication link (23) between the server (2) and the mobile terminal (3);

transmitting the identifier data to the server application;

identifying the self-service terminal (1) to be maintained from the identifier data by the server application;

initiating execution of a maintenance application on the self-service terminal (1) by the server application;

determining schedule information data on the basis of the identifier data and transmission of the determined schedule information data by means of the server application to the terminal application via the communication link (23), wherein the schedule information data are indicative of a component (12) of the self-service terminal (1) that needs to be captured at least to some extent by a still picture production apparatus (31) of the mobile terminal (3);

displaying schedule information on a display means (32) of the mobile terminal (3) based on the schedule information data;

capturing, by means of the mobile terminal (3), a still picture of the component (12) using the schedule information and transmitting still picture data that are indicative of the still picture to the server application; and

determining update data on the basis of the still picture data by the server application and transmission of the update data to the maintenance application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the server application executed on the server (1) controls both the maintenance application on the self-service terminal (1) and the terminal application on the mobile terminal (3).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the capture of the identifier (11) and the transmission of the identifier data are effected by the mobile terminal (3).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier (11) and the self-service terminal (1) comprises a signaling tag selected from the group consisting of an NFC tag, an RFID tag, a barcode and a QR code.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of capturing the identifier (11) is effected by means of the still picture production apparatus (31) of the mobile terminal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication link (23) is set up via a cellular mobile radio network, selected from the group consisting of WLAN, GSM, GPRS, 2GPP, 3GPP and/or LTE network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting a request message by means of the terminal application to the server application, comprises transmitting a request message that indicates to the server application that maintenance work has been performed on the self-service terminal.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the server application transmits the schedule information data to the terminal application only in response to receipt of the request message.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the schedule information graphically indicates to a user of the mobile terminal (3) what components of the self-service terminal (1) need to be captured by means of the still picture production apparatus.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying the component (12) from the still picture data by the server application.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the component (12) comprises a second identifier (121), selected from the group consisting of a second signaling tag, such as an NFC tag, an RFID tag, a barcode and/or a QR code.

12. A system (100) for maintaining a self-service terminal (1), comprising:

a server (2) of a network (4) that is designed for execution of a server application in order to manage a number of self-service terminals;

a mobile terminal (3) that is designed for positioning in a nearby area of the self-service terminal (1) and for execution of a terminal application, the mobile terminal (3) being designed for;

capture of an identifier (11) of the self-service terminal (1) and production of identifier data;

setup of a communication link (23) between the server (2) and the mobile terminal (3); and

transmission of the identifier data to the server application; and

the server (2) being designed for;

identification of the self-service terminal (1) to be maintained from the identifier data by the server application;

initiation of execution of a maintenance application on the self-service terminal (1) by the server application; and

determination of schedule information data on the basis of the identifier data and transmission of the determined schedule information data by means of the server application to the terminal application via the communication link (23), wherein the schedule information data are indicative of a component (12) of the self-service terminal (1) that needs to be captured at least to some extent by a still picture production apparatus (31) for the mobile terminal (3);

wherein

the mobile terminal (3) is also designed for

display, on the basis of the schedule information data, of schedule information on a display means (32) of the mobile terminal (3), and for

capture of a still picture of the component (12) using the schedule information and transmission of still picture data that are indicative of the still picture to the server application; and

wherein

the server (2) also is designed for determination of update data on the basis of the still picture data by the server application and for transmission of the update data to the maintenance application.